Motive-power apparatus.



CHRISTOPHER JOHN LAKE (NAME CHANGED FROM JOHN CHRISTOPHER LAKE Wihwooeo I oooounu oooonfl flwvbodo nuaaooo a a women mound BY JUDICIAL ORDER). MOTIVE POWER APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1908.-

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CHRISTOPHER JOHN LAKE (NAME CHANGED FROM JOHN CHRISTOPHER LAKE BY JUDICIAL ORDER).

MOTIVE POW ER APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 20, 1908.

9 1 4,583 Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

TOPHER JOHN LAKE (NAME CHANGED PROM JOHN CHRISTOPHER LAKE I BY JUDICIAL ORDER). MOTIVE'POWER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1908.

Patented Mar. 9, 1909.

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UNITED STATES rA'rE T CHRISTOPHER JOHN LAKE, (NAME CHANGED FROM JOHN CHRISTOPHER LA-KE BY JUDICIAL ORDER,) or nemonronroomrorrour. Y

MOTIVE-POWER APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 9, 1909 Application filed March 20, 1908. Serial No. 422,310

To all whom it may concern:

lie it known that l, CHRISTOPHER J OIIN LAKE, (formerly JonN (huus'rorlmn LAKE,)

a citizen of the United States, and resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairlield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Motive-Power Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Tli m ac 1n\entIon relates to apparatus or the production and utilization of stealn power and has particular reference to a novel method of increasing the power and etliciency of steam that has been generated in any known form of boiler and of utilizing the energy of the steam thus treated.

()ne object of my invention is to superheat and at the same time increase the pressure of steam drawn from a boiler. This I ac cmuplish by confining successive charges of saturated steam at boiler pressure in a series of receptacles in which it is superheated and its tension Increased, and releasing the charges of steam thus treated in rotation from the receptacles.

A further object is to provide a method of applying heat to the superheating recep tacles in such manner as to avoid burning or rapid deterioration of the material thereof. This l accomplish by supplying suiticient beat to produce the desired temperature and pressure and regulating the appliration of heat according to the quantity of steam to be superheated by it. .I prefer to do this by using liquid or gaseoust'uel and motion. and causing this air blast to actv upon the motor. I v o A further object is to conservetand utilize all of the heat energy contained in the steam and in the waste gases from the firing means connected with the boiler and with the superheating device. a portion of the heat of combustion being used first indirectly to produce a fluid of high temperature and pres sure. and the remainder being finally used directly by commingling the hot products of combustion with the power fluid. I accomplish this by utilizing the kinetic energy of the pressure 'liuid issuing from a series of apertures to impulse the non pressurehot gases into velocity withthe ,pressure fluid,

and then applying the energyofi the com bined pressure fluid and hot gases to impulse air into velocity, the function of the hot gases being to increase the velocity of the impulsed air by expandingiit in its passage to the motor. I

The theory of my, inventiomso far as i ela-tes to the userof air --and-waste gases,

is as follows: The efliciency of a rotary motor is known to be greatestzwhen the fluid passing it has a velocity not-too greatly ex-r ceeding that of its movingjpartsv, W th;

high-pressure steam, therefore, the velocity.

of the motor mustbe too high-for practical pressure! steam,

purposes, and with low: though the efiiciency of the -m01tor itself might be high, there is veryopoor economy on account of the large amount ,water that must be evaporated to producealvery small] amount of available power. jHigh-pressure steam may be used with economy,however,

if its high kinetic energy oryelocity-power;

can be first transferred to a relatively inert-m mass of air. I of air and steam movmgat slower velocity,

This produces. a? large volume but having a power and energy equali'o, that Y of the steam, and such a current of comparatively slow velocity may bensedin arotary; engine with far greater efliclcncy than the steam alone, The advantages.ofusing a large volume of air in this ay, have ,not al- Ways beeneasily 'seeuredron ac count of the difiiculty of obtaining perfect assimilation between the high-velocity stean r andfithe inert air. It hasbeen found that thestea n;

will cut its wayth'rough tl lejnertair without giving up its heat to theiair and;setting it in motion, thestearn tending to pass alone I y high through the motor; and; exhaust, at and uneconomical temperatures;

come this difliculty bythe useofmvspccial-i steam and air assimilator, which-Lhave de scribed and claimed :in ,myhapplication, for Letters Patent No. 269,629, filedJuly 14,1.

1905. B the use of mypassimilator,:Ii am able to e ect a mixture vofairwith,steam very high initial velocity, ,and thenruse this mixture efliciently in a moto'iay, The1 eiiect t of this arrangement isv that the motor acts I on purely mechanical principles, like a is transferred to the air an verted into motion.

water wheel or windmill, and not as a heat engine. The heat employed is not used in the motor but in the production of a fluid current of low velocity and large volume, suitable to be utilized at low temperature in a mechanical motor, without the radiation and other losses commonly incident to heat engines.

The arrangement I have described above owes its advantages largely to the high efiiciency with which the energy of the steam its heat consirability of using the steam at the hi hest ossible pressure and of applying additional iieat to the steam at the same time. Accord ingly, I prefer to superheat this steam to a ve high pressure and cause it to mingle wit the hot waste gases from the boiler furnace and the superheater before it reaches its point of application to the air, which then takes up and utilizes with the impulsive power of the steam the heat of the gases that would'otherwise be wasted heat and energy.

The principles of my invention may be utilized in various modes and in connection with various forms of apparatus, but the preferred manner in which I have contemplated applying them is hereinafter de scribed by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is aside view of the complete aflpparatus, some portions being cut away to ustrate other portions beyond. Fig. 2 is a top view of the complete apparatus. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig.4 is an enlar sectional view showing the 1c of cut-o valve employed and the ends the superheating coils. Fig. 5 is an elevation similar to Fig. 1, but showing a modified form of the apparatus.

Similar reference characters are used to desigpzte corresponding parts throughout the win fuel or gas burners 7. Inside of the casing 5 there IS a pair of coils 8 and 9. These are in communication with the steam space of the boiler by the pipe 10 lea to the valve 11 which may be turned to a 't steam to either of the coils 8 and 9 by the branch pipes 12 and 13. The opposite ends of coils 8 and 9 terminate in a va vs 14 which is constructed in a similar manner to valve 11, as illustrated in Fig. 5. Steam passes through the coils to the valve 14 an the pipe 15, which leads to a valve or adjustable nozzle This suggests the de-' 16. Pipes 10 and 15 are fitted with cut-ofi' valves 46 and 43.

17 is the outer casing of my steam and air assimilator containing a flaring perforated shell 18 and a tapering perforated shell 19 within the shell 18, the two perforated shells being arranged to form an expanding annular passage.

20 is a continuation of casing 17 forming a passage to the motor 21.

22 is an exhaust conduit leading from the motor. The motor shaft is provided with a worm 23 en aging a ear 24 on the governor shaft 25. Thls shaft is provided with a clutch 26 operated by lever 27 and carries a double governor arrangement to control the admission of steam from the superheating coils to the conduits leading to the motor and to control the supply of fuel to the burners 7 in proportion therewith.

28 is an ordinary throttling overnor which controls the supply of oil to t e burners 7 through the lever 29 which is secured on the same rock-shaft 30 with the short levers 31 which control the position of the valve stems 32 in the burners. These stems are provided with s rin to keep them constantly in contact with t e short levers 31.

33 is a centrifugal governor of the flywheel type in which the eccentric in 34 moves radially toward its center 0 rotation when the speed increases and moves in the opposite way when the speed is slackened. The connecting bar 35 and the arm 36 convey motion from the pin 34 to the rock-shaft 37.- This shaft is supported in bearings 36' and operates valves 11 and 14 by means of the lever arms 39 and 40 respectively and the connecting rods 41 and 42 which actuate the swin -arms 43 and 44 of the valves 11 and 14. his mechanism is so adjusted that the valves open alternately for admission to and discharge from each of the coils 8 and 9, and the degree of opening is regulated by the governor 33.

45 is a pipe leading direct from the steam space of the boiler to the pipe 15. This pipe is rovided with a cut-off valve 46 and is used or conducting steam to the valve or adjustable nozzle 16 when the su erheating apparatus is not in operation. his valve 16 is provided with a. stem 50 carrying a hand-wheel 51.

52 is a damper in the smoke pipe provided with a lever 53 connected by the link 54 with a rack 55 engagin a pinion 56 on the stem 50 whereby the filamper -52 becomes closed when the valve 16 is open. The valve or nozzle 16 is surrounded by a casing 60 which leads from the smoke stack to the interior of casing 17. Casing 60 terminates .in an annular passage 61 into which a series of tubes 62 lea from the valve 16.

The operation of the device is as follows: After steam is gotten up in the boiler, valve 43 in pipe 15 is opened. The shaft 25 is now disconnected from the motor by means of the clutch E26 and given a few turns by the hand-wheel 47 This brings the valves 11 and 14 into operation and steam passes from the superheater to the air passages leading to the motor. As soon as the motor comes into operation, the shaft 25 is again connected by the clutch 26 and the action of the valves controlling the superheater becomes constant and automatic. Steam flows into the coils 8 and 9 by the valve 11 and is allowed to pass out from the coils alternately by the action-of the valve 14, the steam being detained and heated in one of the coils during the time of its discharge from the other.

Where it is not convenient to operate the valves by means of the hand-wheel on the shaft 25, the pipe 45 leading direct from the steam space of the boiler may be utilized for initial operationwith wet steam, the wet steam being cut off by the valve 46 and superheated steam being supplied through the pipe 15 as soon as the motor, and with it the valve gea/r, comes into operation. In either case, the action of the governor 28 opens the valves in the burners 7 which are then ignited, either by hand or from pilot lights previously ignited. .The burners then supply a blast of flame through the casing 5 where it impinges upon the coils and finds vent through the stack 2. The alternate charges of wet steam which are confined within the coils and cut ofi from the boiler are thus superheated and the pressure in the coils increased many-fold beyond that of the steam in the boiler. This superheated steam of high pressure passes with great velocity from each coil while the other is being filled and heated, the desired action being secured by proper adjustment of the mechanism operating valves 11 and 14.

The difficulty hitherto experienced in nearly all super-heating devices; namely, liability to injuriously overheat the coil or other apparatus in which the steam is heated, I have overcome by my method of governing the application of eat according to the quantity of steam passing through the coils. When the engine is running under heavy duty, the governor 33 responds to the somewhat slackened speed and causes the eccentric pin 34 to rotate through a larger circumference. This will increase the angular movement of the rock-shaft 37 with the result of admitting increased quantities of steam to the superheating coils and from them to the motor. At the same time the governor 28 acts upon the valve-stems 32 in the burners 7 through the levers 29 and 31 so as to admit a larger amount of fuel to the burners. When the load on the engine is diminished, the tendency to increase its speed is corrected by the governor 33, which,

now acting in the opposite manner, diminishes the supply of steam to the coils and from them to the motor. This calls for a reduction in the amount of heat applied to the coils, if danger of overheating them is to be averted. This result is secured by the governor 28 acting in a manner opposite to that just describal and diminishing the amount of heat applied to the coils. This arrangement not only prolongs the life of the coils, but provides an important feature of economy in the use of fuel, the amount of fuel consumed being governed directly according to the duty placed upon the engine. It also admits of using a boiler of quite limited strength and capacity. A further advantage of economy in the production of steam in the boiler results from the manner in which the hot ases are drawn from the stack. When but little or no steam is being used, the fire burns under natural draft only. but with larger consumption of steam, the gases are so drawn from the stack as to produce an artificial or forced draft. and this draft is produced just in proportion to the steam demands upon the boiler. With a proper setting of the adjustable nozzle 16, steam and furnace gases enter the annular passage 61 and issue therefrom to the perforated annular expanding passage formed by the shells 18 and 19 at very high velocity-a velocity which tends to increase with the expansion of the steam toward the larger end of the passage. The air drawn through the perforations in the passage becomes expanded by the heat of the steam and of the furnace gases and, taking up their energy, passes with them to the motor as a power fluid of large volume, relatively high density and low velocity. The energy of this moving mass of air and steam mingled with furnace gases represents the total energy of the steam discharged at the nozzle 16 and the added energy contributed by the heat of the furnace gases. This total energy is now carried in medium of low velocity, which fact makes it much more available for efficient use in the motor.

In Fig. 4, a modification of the apparatus above described is shown. In this arrangement it is intended only to superheat the steam in the coils 8 and 9 and not to increase its pressure above that in the boiler. The valves 11 and 14 of Fig. 1, and the mechanism connected therewith, are, therefore, dispensed with and the steam is allowed to pass through the coils as in the ordinary form of superheaters. A throttle valve 48, however, is placed in the pipe 15 and connected by the rod 49 with the lever 29. The governor 28 now serves not only to vary the supply of fuel for the burners 7 according to the duty placed upon the engine, but it governs also the passage of steam through the valve 48 according to the power requirements. With this arrangement, using only one governor, the heat applied to the coils is proportioned, as before, to the amount of steam passing through them, the only difference bein that-the steam is utilized at boiler pressure instead of at a higher pressure produced Within the superheating coils.

It will be obvious that my method of transferring the energy of the steam and furnace gases to a current of air could be carried out by the use of wet steam and without any superheating apparatus. I deem it preferable, however, to superheat the steam in order that it may suck in and expand the maximum quantity of air, and for the highest results I employ the appara tus which I have described for confining the steam in the superheater and reatly increasing its pressure at the same time that it is superheated.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim is:

l. The combination with a steam engine boiler and superheater of independent means for firing the superheater, and means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means in accordance with the duty on the engine.

2. The combination with a steam boiler and superheater of independent means for firing the superheater, and combined means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means and the quantity of steam passing through the superheater.

The combination with a steam boiler and super-heater of independent means for firing the superheater, and automatic means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means and the quantity of steam pass ing through the superheater.

4. The combination with asteam boiler and engine of a superheater having independent firing means, and an automatic governing device connected with the engine to control the flow of steam from the superheater and to control the supply of fuel to the firing means.

5. The combination with a steam boiler and engine of a. superheater comprising a plu 'ality of coils or other heating receptaoles. means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the; several coils in rotation, means for superheating the charges thus confined, means for conducting to the engine the charges thus released, and means connected with the engine for governing the period of admission to and the period of release from the superheater.

6. The combination with a' steam engine boiler of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, independent means for firing the superheater, means for admitting. confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, and means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means in accordance with the duty on the engine.

7. The combination with a steam boiler of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, independent means for firing the superheater, means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, and combined. means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means and the quantity of steam allowed to pass through the super-heater.

8. The combination with a. steam boiler of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, independent means for firing the superheater, means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, and automatic means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means according to the quantity of steam allowed to pass through the superheater.

9. The combination with a steam boiler and engine of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, independent means for firing the superheater, means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, and an automatic governing device connected with the engine to control the flow of steam from the superheater and to control the supply of fuel to the firing means. I

10. The combination with a steam boiler and engine of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, means for admitting, confining and re leasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, and means connected with the engine for governing the period of release from the superheater.

11. The con'ibination with a steam boiler and engine of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several. coils in rotation, independent means for firing the super-heater, automatic means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means, and means connected with the engine for governing the period of admission to the superheater.

12. The combination with a steam boiler and engine of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles. means for admitting, confining and releasing succcssivc charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, independent means for firing the super-heater. automatic means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means, and means connected with the engine for governing the period of release from the superheater.

13. The combination with a steam boiler and engine of a superheater comprising a plurality of coils or other heating receptacles, means for admitting, confining and releasing successive charges of steam to and from the several coils in rotation, independent means for firing the superheater, automatic means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means, and means connected with the engine for governing the eriod of admission to and the period of reease from the superheater.

14. The combination with a steam engine, boiler and superheater of independent means for firing the superheater, and means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means in accordance with the duty on the engine, said means comprising a fuel supply pipe, a valve therein and a centrifugal governor connected with the engine and with said valve.

15. The combination with a steam boiler and superheater of independent means for firing the superheater, and combined means for controlling the supply of fuel to said firing means and the quantity of steam passing through the su erheater, said means comprising a fuel Va ve connected with said firing means, a valve connected with the superheater and connections between said valves.

16. The combination with a steam boiler heater and connections between the governor and said valve.

CHRISTOPHER JOHN LAKE, (Fommm JOHN CHRISTOPHER LAKE.)

Witnesses:

C. A. BROWN, THOMAS BARR. 

